Race to Replace

Dems and Republicans vie to be NM's next No. 2

The race for New Mexico’s next lieutenant governor is, among other things, huge: Five Democrats and three Republicans will compete in their respective races in the June 1 primary. The winners of each race will then face off Nov. 2

To make their sheer numbers a bit easier to digest, SFR decided to offer their stats and platforms in the form of faux social-media profiles from the race to replace (get it?) current Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

Visit SFReeper.com for extended candidate interviews (and links to their real Facebook profiles) and Muckrakersguide.com for more info on these and the other primary election races.

José CamposStatus: “Our message is resonating and the campaign’s looking great.” Current City: Santa RosaBirthday: June 8, 1961Occupation: restaurateurMy Best Quality: “experience as a businessman of 25 years, a county commissioner, a mayor of 12 years and a state representative of eight”Political Views: Democrat “I would be pushing to complete the [Renewable Energy] Transmission Authority so that renewable energy can take off and create new, better-paying jobs ASAP. We need to move on it now. We’re not going to create jobs just for the sake of creating jobs; we’re going to be moving into a new industry.”

Brian ColónStatus: “Very excited about the Earth Day events we did this morning.” Current City: AlbuquerqueBirthday: January 26, 1970Occupation: lawyerMy Best Quality: “putting people at ease and bringing people together”Political Views: Democrat“My platform is about the economy, education and ethics in government. We want to make sure we have an open-door policy, whether it’s our actions or transactions—those should all be accessible for scrutiny. We need to look at bolstering the resources in both the attorney general’s and the state auditor’s office.”

Kent CravensStatus: “Just got done paying my gross receipts taxes, so I have a huge smile on my face.” Current City: AlbuquerqueBirthday: January 25, 1960Occupation: owner of a small printing businessMy best quality: “There’s two words that describe it: honesty and integrity.”Political Views: Republican“The growth of state government has been extremely unhealthy. If the jockey is heavier than the horse, it’s a bad bet—and right now the horse is being crushed under the weight of this bureaucracy. I think it’s time to turn it around.”

Linda LopezStatus: “Energized and encouraged and excited about the campaign.” Current City: AlbuquerqueBirthday: March 16, 1964Occupation: part-time special projects coordinator for Bernalillo CountyMy best quality: “patience”Political Views: Democrat“We have never really funded education to its fullest need. This is where our communities need to come up to the plate and start working with our schools. We are in a recession [and] at the state level, we need to be vigilant to make sure this is not permanent.

Brian K MooreStatus: “Thinking about how to answer your questions so I don’t look like an idiot…LOL.”Current City: ClaytonBirthday: April 16, 1952Occupation: grocerMy best quality: “I’m a hard worker.”Political Views: Republican “There’s a lot of opportunity for combining some state agencies, looking at duplication of effort and really figuring out how we can do the same work or even more with fewer resources. Let’s quit doing this: ‘It’s the past administration’s fault’ or ‘It’s the other party’s fault.’ Let’s sit down together and start working things out. The anger is what’s going to drive some of the change, but you can’t govern from that perspective.”

Gerald Ortiz y PinoStatus: “National Association of Women Business Owners dinner tonight.” Current City: AlbuquerqueBirthday: August 27, 1942Occupation: retired social workerMy best quality: “that I get passionate about issues”Political Views: Democrat “The claims of executive privilege are at a level far beyond where any [governor] had ever gone. But that’s because the Legislature went along with it! The Democratic leaders of the Legislature gave in, in a way they must be regretting today…We’ve got to re-establish a more balanced equity in the distribution of power between the executive and the Legislature.”

Lawrence RaelStatus: “Just left my 11- and 4-year-olds at school. They had a party celebrating Earth Day.” Current City: Los RanchosBirthday: March 26, 1958Occupation: retired; former director of the Mid-Region Council of GovernmentsMy best quality: “my sincerity and…I think the word is approachability” Political Views: Democrat “I would look at programs we might be able to restructure so we don’t have redundancies. There are opportunities in many areas—transportation, health, social services…Those are things you look at in a budget.”

John SanchezStatus: “Excited to be in the capital city; reminds me of how beautiful northern New Mexico is.”Current City: AlbuquerqueBirthday: January 11, 1963Occupation: businessman (contractor and development)My best quality: “I’m dedicated, tenacious and hard-working.”Political Views: Republican “The challenge for conservative Republicans is to get back to our true pillars of our values. The Bush-Cheney administration started out well but clearly lost focus…We can disagree on some of the social issues, but the fiscal issues that affect all New Mexicans [are] where the discussion should begin.”